Chapter 60

The carriage ride to Madame Fitzgerald's estate was a lot longer than expected considering the added space and people inside the carriage, and that also meant we needed to pay extra Lumin per mile we rode.

And taking into note all the Lumin we've blown the past days on groceries, the shooting club and carriage trips to different places, we figured that we'd just walk the last few blocks due to the lack of people in the streets at this hour of day.

As expected, Madame Fitzgerold's house was filled with the different party goers that attended this event, but most of the clamor was within her backyard where most of her bought land actually was.

"Something tells me that this event is a fabrication, and there's a true purpose behind it."

Demetrius said as he approached the large wooden door and knocked on it, but a reply didn't come due to the noise inside, wishing was either from music or talking.

Earlier that day before we left, I told Cattleya to remain cautious of her surroundings due to the information I learned regarding her "bounty" made by Madame Fitzgerold and the Nightshades. 

She claimed that she would, as upon looking in her direction she had a rather placid expression, but behind her pair of glasses anyone could read that her face really read otherwise.

"Perhaps, Madame Fitzgerald's connections to the Nightshades might be prominent here. Even if they're a secret organization, who knows if they might be blending in this crowd."

Aaron chimed up, leaning against the doorframe. Shinso then turned to look at all of us.

"The Nightshades predominantly operate during the nightly hours, and due to the time that this event is being held, along with the date and information that Aaron and Isaac told us, it's not that dumb to guess that they might be playing a role here."

His voice had a strange feeling to it as he opened the large doors and stepped in himself, turning towards the rest of us to follow him. Upon entering the party, everyone there was in an oddly festive mood, as if they were told to act that way, or maybe they're just clueless to what might be truly behind closed doors.

"Ahh, you made it."

Madame Fitzgerald's familiar voice rang through the air as she approached us, Cattleya bowed politely along with the rest of us in an attempt to show a kind and respectful gesture.

"The food and drinks are in the left hall, and the main dancing floor is in the main lobby."

She then walked away, back to wherever she previously was within her own house. Feeling a bit hungry, I looked towards Shinso, who looked back at me.

"Let's get food."

We said in unison as we both proceeded towards the food hall where we saw a few other people clammored there, diving into whatever Madame Fitzgerold's cooks had prepared for this event.

"Man, am I glad to see you!"

A voice sounded through the dining hall, it was cheery and bright, and upon a few moments of thinking we instantly knew who it was, and I don't know how fast we turned around.

"Oboro?"

Oboro was in fact there, he wore more distinguished attire and had a pair of crutches under his arms.

"At least I'm not completely bedridden now, I felt like I haven't seen you guys in ages."

His eyes shone brightly as he spoke, and shortly after Aizawa and Aaron entered the room. Aizawa seemed extremely happy to see his old friend up and moving again, while Aaron tried to look happy, but after learning his true intentions, it just didn't feel natural to act like that all of the sudden.

"Aizawa!"

Oboro stumbled over and wrapped his arms around him, Aizawa's face lit up with a hint of subtle blush, but he hesitantly embraced Oboro back.

"It's good to see you again."

After a short while, Aaron spoke in a voice that tried to hide his pain and slight nervousness.

"I suppose Madame Fitzgerald invited you to the event too?"

Oboro nodded.

"She did, I'm honestly surprised that she remembered that hospitalized people exist. Although it was a little peculiar considering my current state in comparison to the others in the medical facility."

Aaron's eyes suddenly narrowed with a little bit of suspicion tugging at his expression, so he decided to press Oboro further regarding the states of people in the medical facility.

"What are the other patients' conditions?"

Oboro then bit his lip, attempting to recall the recent medical logs he listened in on before he left, he had quite the nosy tendency.

"One of them, a 15 year old girl, was shot a few days ago. And an old man, about 82 years of age, suffered a stroke related to a mystical attack."

"A mystical attack?"

Aizawa spoke up, pulling out a chair from a nearby table and sitting down in it, his eyes glued on Oboro's contemplating expression.

Oboro then nodded, digging into his memory for traces of information regarding the case.

"The doctor's said that the patient heard and felt distant murmurs and yells within their mind, and the ravings made them fall into a stroke out of fear."

Aaron's eyes widened, and a glare of intrigue and suspicion washed over his body.

"A stroke out of fear..."

His brows then furrowed as he attempted to recall this information, but it was some that he was unaware of.

"No, completely unaware."

Aaron then sighed, taking a few steps back, before entering a deep train of thought.

"The recovery time for a stroke is usually a few weeks, when did this occur?"

Oboro looked around the room for a few seconds before returning his gaze back to Aaron.

"About 3 weeks ago, but the man from what I've heard, has quickly recovered with a healthy dose of divine protection and some pills."

Following the gathering of this information, Aaron then looked back towards the main lobby and nodded his head.

"Ok, I bid you farewell now Oboro."

Before Oboro could speak anymore, Aaron departed from the dining hall and towards the dance floor, where he took out a cigar and lit it.

Me and Shinso then turned back to look at Oboro, who was smiling at us. Aizawa's face also had a tiny smile on it, but he rather kept his nonchalant appearance.

"What have you been doing the last week?"

It took the 3 of us a long time to reply, but all the crazy revelations we've learned in the last few weeks made us a little bit uneasy, but we figured we'd attempt to pry more information from him to truly uncover Isaiah's intentions.

"We found who shot you."

Aizawa said bluntly, which made Oboro's eyes widen in anticipation and some fear.

"Really, who?"

I took a deep breath, the truth that Oboro was shot as a play off and to uncover true intentions was running through my mind.

"Do you know the name Isaiah Walls?"

Oboro seemed confused, as he furrowed his brows and his blue eyes narrowed a little.

"No, I don't know that person."

My expression didn't falter or move. I simply nodded slowly and looked toward Shinso and Aizawa, who were shooting me glances.

"Isaiah Walls had connections to Aaron, who mentored you."

Shinso then announced, and it made our hearts drop upon seeing the drastic change in Oboro's expression.

"H-he what?"

I nodded, the feeling in my stomach growing by the second as we continued to unload these revelations onto Oboro.

"Yes, it's been revealed that you weren't shot because he had personal matters with you."

I then gulped hard, feeling extremely sorry for Oboro for what I was about to say.

"He shot you to cover something else up."

"Madame Fitzgerald, or the woman hosting this event. She was in possession of some notes that contained secret and rather important information."

"She works for a secret organization called the Nightshades, and there was this man by the name of Maxwell Hammers. Since Madame Fitzgerald had connections with them, she stole some notes, but she paid the Nightshades to keep her in, but take Maxwell out."

"But he was also banished due to him almost losing control. Then we have Isaiah, who stole dangerous artifacts known as Nullifying bullets, and a dangerous sealed artifact."

"And a man by the name of Demetrius Hallow was dispatched to find him and take back the artifacts. But recent information told us that Nullifying bullets are used by overground police, so he most likely stole them as a distraction to utilize the artifact."

Oboro's face geniuses into shock, before he continued to press us further regarding the knowledge I had.

"What does this have to do with anything that happened to me?"

"A-Aaron also worked for the Nightshades as a double life sort of thing, and he actually pulled some strings and had Maxwell banished by manipulating his sense of rationality, making him almost lose control."

"Aaron was then banished from the Nightshades after they found this out, but he wasn't put on any bounty list of any kind."

"Why?"

Oboro asked in puzzlement, I simply sighed and said bluntly.

"I'm unaware, I might have to ask him."

"And the reason that you were shot to begin with was held after Maxwell tried to utilize a group of artifacts to hold a ritual used in finding the Nightshades, but it backfired and he destroyed himself."

"Aaron was at the ritual too, as he tried to find the Nightshades too, but after the ritual he departed and orchestrated having you shot as a cover up for some sort of other motives that Isaiah had."

After hearing this, Oboro had quite the unexpected reaction. We all suspected him to break down or something, but he simply furrowed his brow in anger and walked out of the room, towards the room where Aaron was leaning against the wall.

"So, I'm just a cover up of some sort, is that it?"

His voice rang with fury as he approached Aaron, everyone in the room turned to look at him in puzzlement and confusion, and the violins and pianos ceased.

Aaron's expression softened slightly as he looked his apprentice up and down in a genuine and sincere way.

Aaron's expression softened slightly as he looked his apprentice up and down in a genuine and sincere way.

"I'm sorry you had to learn that, I truly am."

Strangely, Aaron then looked back to look at us, before pulling a small handgun out of his pocket, and pointed it in our direction, and tears began to well in our eyes.